Linde awarded major contract to supply REBOX® HLL oxyfuel system to SSAB

Trade News

Munich, 4 October 2010 – Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, today announced its agreement with Swedish steel manufacturer, SSAB, for the installation of an extensive REBOX® HLL oxyfuel system at its steel mill in Borlänge, Sweden. Combined with a similar but smaller system implemented at the plant by Linde in early 2009, the installation will represent the world’s largest oxyfuel combustion system in a reheat furnace and is scheduled for completion January 2011. SSAB is a leading global producer of high strength steels, with a production capacity of more than six million tonnes.

The first REBOX® HLL system, with 25 megawatts (MW) of power, was installed in one of two zones within one of the 300 tonnes per hour walking beam furnaces at the Borlänge mill. Following its successful operation, the technology will now be extended to that furnace’s second zone and to both zones within the other furnace. The combined oxyfuel installation will allow the Borlänge plant to operate at 60-70 MW and will deliver operational improvements including a 10 percent increase in throughput capacity, a reduction of fuel consumption by 15 percent, in addition to helping to decrease CO2 and NOx emissions by as much as 15 and 25 percent respectively.

“SSAB continuously aims to make its operations more efficient and decrease environmental impact. We are committed to use technologies that decrease fuel consumption and CO2 and NOX emissions. Working in close cooperation with Linde’s steel reheating specialists, through laboratory tests and stepwise full-scale implementation, has created the trust and experience needed when taking on a new technology. REBOX® HLL has already been proven to be successful in Borlänge, and we are now taking a further step to gain additional benefits,” said Ronnie Högberg, Production and Site Manager at SSAB’s strip mill in Borlänge.

Linde’s patented REBOX® HLL technology creates a type of flameless oxyfuel without the need to replace existing air-fuel burners. By reducing the air flow within the combustion process and substituting the majority of the air with oxygen, which is delivered via high velocity injection, combustion is greatly improved. Additionally, the flue-gas volume produced from this oxygen-enhanced mixture is less than 55 percent of that of air-fuel alone. The benefits for the end user include increased throughput capacity, improved temperature uniformity, decreased fuel consumption and reduction of NOx and CO2 emissions. As no alternative or additional burners are required, which minimises the installation downtime, the legacy air-fuel system can also be re-instated at any time. This mitigates potential risk associated with the implementation and allows for optimal and flexible operations in order to respond to fluctuating fuel costs and production requirements.

“The agreement with SSAB for a second, larger installation of REBOX® HLL is an important milestone for Linde,” said Joachim von Schéele, Marketing Manager Metals and Glass, Linde Gases. “SSAB’s decision validates the use of this particular type of oxyfuel technology in large steel reheating furnaces and we believe it can make a significant impact on reducing fuel consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases not only for SSAB but for other steel manufacturers globally over the next few years.”

About REBOX®
REBOX® oxyfuel solutions are employed in 120 reheating and annealing furnaces worldwide. Compared to air-fuel solutions, oxyfuel can boost production throughput by up to 50 percent, reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by the same amount, in addition to also reducing NOx output. REBOX® HLL has previously been employed by SSAB in Sweden to improve operations of a 300 tph walking beam furnace for slab reheating. Results included increased throughput capacity, improved temperature uniformity, decreased fuel consumption and reduction of NOx and CO2 emissions.

About The Linde Group
The Linde Gases Division, part of the Linde Group, is a leader in the international industrial and healthcare gases markets, providing compressed, bulk, specialty and medical gases, as well as chemicals to virtually all fields of industry globally. The company adds value to its customers’ businesses through the provision of state-of-the-art application technology, process know-how, services and equipment.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 48,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2009 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 11.2 billion. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

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